it's up to you to be you.

I’ve tried not to publicly comment on the Rihanna/Crazy Brown issue, unless someone asks me for my opinion, but I saw him today while I was at a trade show, and I just got so mad. The person I was with pointed him out to me, as we were walking by him, and when I turned my head and realized who it was, I immediately said something like, “O my gah I can’t stand him, we have to get out of here.” My heart was racing. Let me be brief. First, I don’t believe that Rihanna has healed from the trauma of being brutally attacked by someone she loves so much. If she had, she would not be back with him. And I don't blame her for it. Secondly, I think that if the media felt the need to cover and comment on their relationship, it should have made itself useful by actually educating people on the seriousness of domestic violence. What the media has essentially done is become a part of the continuous cycle of abuse. Why do I say this? Yes, discussing domestic violence is an uncomfortable subject for many people; but that is exactly why it needs to be discussed. I’ve heard and seen news channels and magazines throw out rhetorical questions about the public’s opinion over Rihanna and Chris, but the public’s opinion about the couple does not matter. What significance does that have? What matters is helping victims of domestic violence and other abuse. What matters is educating people on being aware of abusive relationships. What matters is talking about abuse. What matters is doing what we can to help end the cycle of abuse. 1 in 4 women will be abused in her lifetime—and this statistic only reflects those of reported abuse. Look around you, or think of how many women are in your life, and do the math. I would say that the majority of the media glossed over the seriousness of this matter, making it seem like it was practically nothing. The entertainment industry welcomed him back. Both have done a HUGE disfavor to society. And both have done a huge disfavor to Rihanna as well. This is an issue where you have to swallow your fear and not be afraid to step on some toes. The fact is Chris Brown beat a woman, which is unacceptable. We all saw the pictures of her bruised and bloodied face. The fact is many people are killed as the result of domestic violence. So why are we afraid to talk about it? It took 26 people to die for the country to go bonkers over the 2nd amendment. What’s it going to take to get the country to go bonkers over putting an end to abuse?